Mamela
by Nara Merald
Summary: Dreams Made Flesh is not of the long lived races. Her passing is marked with a not so ordinary tribute for a not so ordinary soul. Mamela... Listen.


**Summary:** Dreams Made Flesh is not of the long lived races. Her passing is marked with a not-so-ordinary tribute for a not-so-ordinary soul. Mamela… Listen.

**Mamela**

The Dark court had officially folded years ago, the queen of Ebon Askavi long gone. But Witch, Kaleer's heart, lived still even though a child could see Jaenelle had had better days.

The past week had been bitter-sweet, a delightfully agonising cacophony of emotion for Saetan, who himself already attempted to prepare himself for what Daemon couldn't yet face. Jaenelle was fading.

Like the wheel turns, so had the days, and Saetan's witch-child had become a Queen, the Queen had become Kaleer's heart and Kaleer's heart was dying. The aging first circle were present, as the entire coven had moved into the keep. Kaelas had passed on, KaeAskavi instead representing him. Ladvarian was aging, and to Saetan's regret, he doubted the Sceltie would survive Jaenelle long. Karla was weak but fighting, Gabrielle faring a little better and Morghann using her craft to steady herself more and more. Wilhelmina had passed away two years before. As the long lived races were from Dhemlan, or Hayallians or Eyriens, the coven had aged as Jaenelle had, making it more bearable. Not so Daemon, who sincerely regretted it. Saetan understood. Lucivar understood, but then Lucivar had Marian.

No servant was willing to take time off, not when this might be their last chance to serve the Lady. All the Keep was suffused with an influx of visitors, guests, inner circles and the land was occupied by the Kindred, more than he had thought possible has begun pilgrimage to see her, making Saetan's heart ache for the days she could tour their territories. Daemon was with her now, but it was Lucivar who called him.

"Saetan! Quickly!" Saetan rushed as fast as his own aging body would allow, pushing himself and ignoring his bad knee as fear whispered through him like a sharply honed knife blade. It should be _him_ dying, aging.

.:Papa:. Jaenelle asked, weakly on a red thread.

.:Witch-child:. Saetan caressed her forehead gently, keeping back a sob that threatened to escape him. The family were all here, Marian crying into Lucivar, Daemonar and Desian, Beal, Helene, Tersa, Sylvia, Luthvian, the Boyo's and the Queens.

Jaenelle's eyes focussed their unnerving sapphire depths as she dropped the mask called flesh for the last time, revealing the delicately spiralled horn, the ears of the Dea Al Mon, the hands with sheathed claws, the mane of golden hair/fur and the hooves. He couldn't see the tail but he knew it was there. There were gasps as those who had never seen Witch truly, finally understood.

"Cat…. You're beautiful…" Lucivar whispered hoarsely. Jaenelle's only acknowledgement was a tart look in his direction.

.:Thankyou all for your service, your courage. I love you all. Your dreams were always so much…richer:. Jaenelle paused, looking in Daemon's eyes. The healers that always surrounded her now continued channelling energy into her, as much as she could take. Daemon was holding her hand as if she were his lifeline.

Saetan watched silently as she spoke to each person in the room privately, Ladvarian whining a little, KaeAskavi growling. He and Daemon were last, he waited for her unique touch and when it came he surrendered to her again, like he would always do, dropping his barriers and leaving himself exposed to her for the last time.

.:Papa…. I love you:. She was so choked and weak...

.:I will always love you, witch-child:. He replied, smiling as his eyes glittered with unshed tears.

What she said to Daemon stayed private, and his namesake would take it to the grave, but whatever it was, Daemon accepted it looking like it had cost him everything he had, everything he was. But he accepted it, and did it, as he would do anything for his Queen.

Then she said it, on a general threat.

.:It is time:. That midnight voice was a command none would dare disobey. The coven listened, as they always had, Luthvian and the healers stopped their ministrations slowly and sadly.

Her last words were so faint that he stopped breathing to hear them.

.:Mamela:. Witch said softly with a smile, and then dissolved into the air, into the Darkness as the wolves in and around the keep howled, a mourning song. Marian turned and buried her face in Lucivar's shirt and cried, the coven keened. Already the air around them reeked of an aching loss, because she wasn't there.

It was Tersa that he turned to then, Tersa who unsettled him. She was not at all upset, rather, she was smiling as if she knew a secret they all didn't, before beckoning him outside. He followed, ignoring the "Uncle Saetan?" and shocked looks, to where the Kindred who couldn't fit in the hall still wailed, barked, howled, roared, screeched and neighed in mourning, not to mention the humans who had chosen to wait with them.

When he reached outside, he froze, for every animal capable of bowing was bowed, heads down, from Scelties to stallions.  
"Hela, hey Mamela." whispered Tersa. Mamela. Witch's last word. Listen.

"Mamela!" gasped Gabrielle, as Saetan realised they'd all followed him. He'd been so disconnected at the time that he hadn't realised.  
_.:Ingonyama nengw' enamabala:_. Here is a Lion and a Tiger.

.:_Night, And the spirit of life….Calling, Oh, oh, iyo, Mamela… Oh, oh, iyo_:. Ladvarian _sung_ mentally. Saetan remembered the first time he'd ever heard Jaenelle sing mentally, and the Kindred sing-alongs that had ensued.

.:_And a voice, With the fear of a child…Answers Oh, oh, iyo…Oh, Mamela Oh, oh, iyo_:. Ladvarian continued.

.:_Wait! There's no mountain too great! Oh, oh, iyo, Hear the words and have faith, Oh, oh, iyo… Have faith_:. Mistral, most mistrustful of humans of all the unicorns surprised Saetan by taking up the song with Ladvarian for those words.

"_Hela, hey Mamela, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela, Hey Mamela_." Gabrielle whispered, remembering the song Jaenelle loved as the humans stood frozen still, watching the Kindred.

.:_She lives in you, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
She lives in me, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
She watches over, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
Everything we see, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
Into the water, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
Into the truth, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
In your reflection Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
She lives in you_ :. Moonshadow and KaeAskavi joined Mistral and Ladvarian for the chorus.

The song described his witch-child perfectly.

.:_She lives in you, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
She lives in me, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
She watches over, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
Everything we see, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
Into the water, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
Into the truth, Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
In your reflection Hela, hey Mamela, Hela  
She lives in you_ :.

The second chorus was taken up by all of the Kindred present, as well as the coven in a strain of voices that vibrated all the pain, loss, triumph, pride, fear, faith and love. It was Karla who stepped forward for the bridge, singing aloud softly but strongly.

"_So wait… there's no mountain too great, hear the words and have faith... Have faith._" At this, a great trumpeting of sound came as the tigers and Arcerians roared, the wolves howled, the horses and unicorns neighed, the Scelties barked and even the Arachnians made a clicking noise that unnerved some humans around them.

.:_SHE LIVES IN YOU!_:. Saetan heard his own voice before he even realised he was singing, then was doubly shocked when he realised the mental voices were so many.

.:_SHE LIVES IN ME!_:. They were raised, not just over the keep but covering the Shadow Realm, possibly Hell as well making it impossible to distinguish any one voice in the Harmony.

.:_SHE WATCHES OVER, EVERYTHING SHE SEES!_:. She always had, and it comforted Saetan to think that wherever she was in her dreams, she would be watching them.

.:_INTO THE WATER!_:. For a moment, Saetan fancied he heard Lorn's voice. He would not be at all surprised to hear Lorn singing along too.

.:_INTO THE TRUTH!_:. Saetan swore Draca's sibilant voice was singing aloud, as Morghann, Karla and Gabrielle were doing. The Boyos sung mentally.

.:_IN YOUR REFLECTION… She lives in you_:.

As the song wound down, the Kindred began to disappear slowly, quietly disappearing back to their lands to mourn in private. By the end, all the humans, bar Tersa and Draca, if she could be counted, were in tears.

"It iss a fitting tribute." Draca allowed, casting her eyes over the gathering of Kindred and humans. _She lives in you_…

Yes, Saetan thought, A fitting Tribute.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Wow. I did that all tonight. Obviously I was inspired by "He lives in you" which is on the sound track of the Lion King (2 I think?). The lyrics can be found online by a google search. I'd put the address but I dont know how, because i suck.

I hope you like it. I hate the fics where Jaenelle is killed off so that another character the author invents can take her place, because it is demeaning to Jaenelle and is off-kilter with the whole story. I hoped this would be a fitting tribute to her death.

Please review and let me know what you think!

xoxo


End file.
